Tag Archives: Lita Judge

Teaching children to persevere through challenges is an important step in helping them develop a growth mind-set. The older I get, the more I come to realize that it is though failing that we succeed; through disappointment that we develop resilience; and through challenges we face that we grow stronger. Sharing picture books where characters are faced with and overcome challenges is a great starting point for teaching these important life lessons. Here are my top picks for promoting perseverance and growth mindset.

Bert is gathering up courage to launch into flight. This is a fun tale about taking a leap of faith and trying something new. It’s good to face our fears, whether it’s learning to fly…or something else. Sweet illustrations and I loved Bert’s encouraging friends.

I love using this book to teach critical and creative thinking, problem solving and perseverance. When a little girl decides to make a “most magnificent thing”, she finds herself becoming more and more frustrated when things don’t work the way she had planned. Although she keeps trying, she eventually has a melt-down and quits! It’s only when she re-visits her plan, reflectson her mistakes, and developsa new plan that her”magnificent thing” is finally built! I used this book as the anchor for a school-wide “MMT” (Most Magnificent Thing) project.You can read about it on my blog post here.

I’m a big fan of Ashley Spires so was excited to read her new book when it came out this fall. Lou is an adventurous, imaginative girl who loves to play with her friends. But when they decide to play pirates and climb a tree, Lou hesitates. She doesn’t know how but is afraid to admit it. Great messages about trying new things, overcoming fears, and not making excuses.

Every child can make connections to being on that diving board for the first time and looking down into that pool. This is wonderful book about facing and overcoming your fears. Great for making connections! Big clear words and pictures with views from below and above fill the pages. I loved the view from the diving board with “his toes curled around the rough edge”. LOVE!

This amazing picture book shows the importance of failing before you can be truly great – and it’s a wonderful story about self-esteem. I love this great, smart young role model and the rhythm and rhyme of the text. Delightful read-aloud!

“When Sophie Gets Angry- Really, Really Angry” by Molly Bang has long been one of my “go to” connect books for managing feelings and emotions. This new companion “Sophie” book, “When Sophie Thinks She Can’t…” is the perfect anchor book for introducing the concepts of “Fixed” and “Growth” mindsets to your students, as well as problem solving and perseverance. Would also be a great link to Math as Sophie is frustrated with tangram puzzles.

An excellent book to explore a variety of problem-solving strategies with your class at the start of the year. An inspiring companion to What Do You Do With an Idea? Love the message that we have the power to turn problems into opportunities.

Fascinating non-fiction book about the brain about the importance of learning new things & making mistakes in order for your brain to grow. Love the illustrations and the “voice” of the narrator. Although this book does include some scientific vocabulary, it is clear and colourful and communicates the message that your brain is an amazing thing and that you should learn from mistakes and challenges. Perfect for growth mindset!

SOOOO love this book about an adorable penguin who has a dream to fly. Brilliant message that encourages hard work and persistence in achieving your dreams. Beautiful illustrations, great humour – this book is definitely one to share. I love this penguin’s tenacity and positive attitude!

Perseverance. Patience. Practice. Joey, a little boy who loves to fold things, learns that he needs all three “P’s” when trying to master the art of making an origami crane. Instructions for making an origami ladybug is included in the back. (was confused why it wasn’t instructions for a crane…?)

One of my favorite books from last year, After the Fall is beautiful, brilliant, inspiring and surprising! A contemporary retelling of Humpty Dumpty, where we learn that after his fall, Humpty Dumpty developed a fear of heights. I really appreciated the way that after Humpty Dumpty was physically put back after his ordeal, but still has to deal with the emotional impact. Such a great story with a VERY surprising ending!

The idea of perfectionism is explored in this charming book. Such an important book to help children understand that it is through our mistakes that we grow and learn. “Mistakes are proof you’re trying!”

SO many things to love about this book! It is an inspiring and beautifully written story of ambition, resilience, creativity and courage; an inter generational story about the special relationships with our grandparents; a perfect anchor book for making connections to family; and an amazing mentor text for writing descriptions and similes. WOW! LOVE this book!

A young girl dreams of what it will be like to have her black belt in Taekwondo. Her delusions of grandeur are very entertaining, but in the end she reminds herself of the hard work and practice needed to earn her belt. I LOVE this brand new book, this message, these illustrations – everything about it!

Thanks for stopping by! What are your favorite books for teaching perseverance and “growth mindset”?

I have been waiting for weeks for this book to come out and it’s finally here! This is the most wonderful, charming, delightful book about reading I have seen in a long time. Not only is it an excellent anchor book for instructional writing, it is a beautiful book about the importance and pleasures of reading. This book would be a perfect one to start the school year and would also make a wonderful baby shower gift! Wonderful, entertaining illustrations enhance the text. (The only step that was missing for me was “Sniff the pages”!) This is a MUST have classroom book!

Such fun reading this hilarious book which follows an ambulance as it comes to the aid of characters in nursery rhymes! Paramedics rescue the cow who tripped over the moon and cracked Humpty Dumpty – delightful! Rhyming text and fantastic illustrations – This book is idea for sharing and would be a great addition to a nursery rhyme unit.

Initially, I didn’t think I would like this book because the illustrations didn’t appeal to me at first. But after reading the story, I realized how they compliment the quirkiness of this delightful story. Sparkles the Pony and Ballet the Cat are trying to decide what to do together but a secret may get in the way of their decision. This is a wonderful beginning reader similar to the Elephant and Piggy books. Lots of important themes in this simple story: overcoming problems that arise when friends who have different interests and want to play different things; how to talk about your feelings and showing empathy. Love the “talking bubbles”!

Sigh. I love Sadie. I love this book and its simple message about the power of imagination. Sadie is an adorable, whimsical little girl who doesn’t ever leave her room, but whose glorious imagination takes her to far away places, exotic places, magical places. From sun up to sun down, silent Sadie has glorious adventures. This book is so so lovely. It had a soft, lyrical quality and phenomenal illustrations. (I could not stop running my fingers over the pages!) This book is my new treasure book.

Although I didn’t enjoy this book as much as Flight School(loved that book!), this lively book tells the story of a cheerful, energetic parrot named Beatrix who can’t wait to start the day. So she wakes up all her sleepy animal friends using her “outside” voice. This book is fun, but I found the comic style panel illustrations a little busy and would be challenging to share with a whole class.

What is happening to Spencer’s books? Spencer loves to read but when his favorite books start to disappear, and are replaced with flowers and nuts, he doesn’t know what to do. A fun, slightly odd but engaging story with a surprise ending. (Liked but didn’t love)

Perfect timing for Father’s day – this book is a hilarious tribute to “real” dads. What are those loud, strange noises? A young girl is convinced they are wild beasts and not her dad. Fun, heartwarming look at bodily functions that many children (and parents) will make connections to! I only wish it wasn’t written in rhyming verse as I felt it took away from the content.

Gorgeous, captivating, unique, charming! My favorite book this week. It tells the sweet story of a little girl who moves to a new town and discovers a place called “Butterfly Park”. The only problem is, there are no butterflies to be found anywhere. So the young girl sets out to find the butterflies, inspiring the entire town to join in the search. Wonderful message about working together to build community and make a difference. The paper-cut out illustrations are truly amazing! This is a keeper!